Vamp and shoe body including the vamp

ABSTRACT

A vamp is provided, for being arranged on a sole structure and defining a cavity with the sole structure, the vamp includes a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, a fourth portion and a fifth portion; the first portion is tubular and has an opening communicating with the cavity; the first, second, third, fourth and fifth portions are configured to respectively correspond to different parts of a foot, regarding deformabilities, the second portion is greater than the first portion, the first portion is greater than the fifth portion, the fifth portion is greater than the fourth portion, and the fourth portion is greater than the third portion. A shoe body is further provided, including the vamp and the sole structure, the vamp is arranged on the sole structure to define the cavity with the sole structure for receiving the foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vamp and a shoe body including the vamp.

Description of the Prior Art

Generally, a shoe body includes a vamp and a sole. The vamp is fixed connected to the sole, and the vamp and the sole define a receiving chamber for receiving a foot. The vamp can cover the whole foot, for example an instep, a heel and two opposite side of the foot to protect and support the foot. In addition, the vamp has a throat part which is configured to correspond to the instep, and the conventional throat part is only used to cover, so the throat part does not have a preferable deformability, and it is hard for the throat part to wrap the foot tightly to fit and support the foot.

However, in the conventional shoe body, to tightly wrap the foot, a user needs to use a shoelace structure to tie shoelaces spacingly through a left side and a right side of the throat part (configured to correspond to the foot), and s/he needs to pull the two sides of the vamp toward the throat part (middle part of the vamp). Therefore, it is inconvenient that the user has to tie or untie the shoelaces first instead of wearing or taking off the shoe body directly when wearing or taking off the shoe body.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The major object of the present invention is to provide a vamp and a shoe body including the vamp which provides a plurality of portions with different deformabilities and provides great coverage and stability to a foot.

To achieve the above and other objects, a vamp is provided, for being arranged on a sole structure and for defining a cavity with the sole structure for receiving a foot therein, the vamp defining a length direction, a width direction lateral to the length direction and a height direction lateral to the length direction and the width direction, the vamp including: a first portion, being tubular and having an opening which is configured to communicate with the cavity; a second portion, extending from the first portion toward a side away from the first portion, the second portion configured to at least correspond to an instep; a third portion, extending from the first portion along the height direction toward a side away from the first portion, the third portion extending from the first portion in a direction which is away from the second portion, the third portion configured to correspond to a heel; a fourth portion, at least partly surrounding the second portion, the fourth portion including at least two side portions which are arranged by two opposite sides of the second portion, each of the two side portions having an extent from the sole structure toward the second portion greater than 1.00 cm; a fifth portion, being arranged between the second and fourth portions; wherein the deformability of the second portion is greater than the deformability of the first portion, the deformability of the first portion is greater than the deformability of the fourth portion, the deformability of the fourth portion is greater than the deformability of the third portion, and the deformability of the fifth portion is smaller than respective deformabilities of the first and second portions but greater than or equal to the deformability of the third portion.

To achieve the above and other objects, a shoe body is provided, including the vamp mentioned above, and further including the sole structure; the vamp is arranged on the sole structure to define the cavity with the sole structure for receiving the foot, the second portion is configured to correspond to the middle portion of the sole structure, and the third portion is configured to correspond to the rear portion of the sole structure.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a partly cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 for a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A vamp 1 is for being arranged on a sole structure 2 and for defining a cavity 3 with the sole structure 2 for receiving a foot 4 therein, the vamp 1 defines a length direction L (from a frontmost part to a rearmost part of the vamp 1), a width direction W (from a left side to a right side of the vamp, corresponding to an inner side and an outer side of the foot 4) lateral to the length direction L and a height direction H lateral to the length direction L and the width direction W, and the vamp 1 includes a first portion 10, a second portion 20, a third portion 30, a fourth portion 40 and a fifth portion 50.

The first portion 10 is tubular and has an opening 11 which is configured to communicate with the cavity 3, and the opening 11 is for the foot 4 to enter the cavity 3; the second portion 20 is a throat area, the second portion 20 extends from the first portion 10 toward a side away from the first portion 10, and the second portion 20 is configured to at least correspond to an instep; the third portion 30 extends from the first portion 10 along the height direction H toward a side away from the first portion 10, the third portion 30 and the second portion 20 are respectively connected to two opposite sides of the first portion 10, the third portion 30 extends from the first portion 10 in a direction which is away from the second portion 20, when being unstretched, in the width direction W, an extent of the third portion 30 is greater than an extent of the first portion 10 of the vamp 1, the first portion 10, the second portion 20 and the third portion 30 are arranged on the length direction L, and the third portion 30 is configured to correspond to a heel (a rear part of the foot 4, including a calcaneus); the fourth portion 40 at least partly surrounds the second portion 20, the fourth portion 40 includes at least two side portions 41 which are arranged by two opposite sides of the second portion 20, each of the two side portions 41 has an extent from the sole structure 2 toward the second portion 20 greater than 1.00 cm (in this embodiment, the extent is greater than 1.50 cm); the fifth portion 50 is arranged between the second and fourth portions 20, 40, in this embodiment, the fifth portion 50 at least partly surrounds the second portion 20, and the fifth portion 50 is connected among the first, second, third and fourth portions, 10, 20, 30, 40; wherein the deformability of the second portion 20 is greater than the deformability of the first portion 10, the deformability of the first portion 10 is greater than the deformability of the fourth portion 40, the deformability of the fourth portion 40 is greater than the deformability of the third portion 30, and the deformability of the fifth portion 50 is smaller than respective deformabilities of the first and second portions 10, 20 but greater than or equal to the deformability of the third portion 30. Therefore, with the different deformabilities of the portions, the portions can surround and wrap the foot 4 tightly, and a position of the foot 4 in the cavity 3 can be stably maintained anytime (for example, walking or exercising). In this embodiment, a ratio of the deformabilities of the first portion 10, the second portion 20, the third portion 30, the fourth portion 40 and the fifth portion 50 is 10:15:1:1.5:2. Specifically, the deformability of the first portion 10 is 200.00%±10%, the deformability of the second portion 20 is 300.00%±10%, the deformability of the third portion 30 is 20.00%±5%, and the deformability of the fourth portion is 30.00%±5%. In this embodiment, the deformability of the first portion 10 is 200.00% which can tightly wrap the foot 4 (corresponding to a tibia of the foot 4), the deformability of the second portion 20 is 300.00, the deformability of the third portion 30 is 20.00%, and the deformability of the fourth portion 40 is 30.00%. The deformability of the third portion is small enough to stably support a heel so that the foot will not slide out of the cavity 3 easily. The first and second portions 10, 20 have great elasticity, so the first and second portions 10, 20 can be pulled and stretched for the foot 4 to enter or exit from the cavity 3.

The fifth portion 50 can buffer the differences of the deformabilities of the first, second, third and fourth portions 10, 20, 30, 40 so as to provide enough deformability according to a shape of the foot 4 and provide an opposite pulling force to tightly wrap the foot 4.

Specifically, the fifth portion 50 includes at least one rear side portion 51, the at least one rear side portion 51 is connected among the first, second, third and fourth portions 10, 20, 30, 40, the at least one rear side portion 51 is connected to the third portion 30, the deformability of each of the at least one rear side portion 51 is greater than the deformability of the third portion 30 but smaller than respective deformabilities of the first and portions 10, 20, and the at least one rear side portion 51 is configured to correspond to an ankle of the foot 4. In this embodiment, the fifth portion 50 includes two of the at least one rear side portion 51, and the two rear side portions 51 are by two opposite sides of the third portion 30. The deformability of each of the two rear side portions 51 ranges from 28.00% to 42.00%. In this embodiment, the deformability of each of the two rear side portions 51 is between 30.00% and 40.00% to provide lateral support to the inner ankle and outer ankle.

The fifth portion 50 includes at least one middle portion 54 (configured to correspond to a side area of a plantar arch and other parts of the foot 4), the at least one middle portion 54 is connected between the second and fourth portions 20, 40, the at least one middle portion 54 and the second portion 20 are arranged on the width direction W, the middle portion 54 is directly connected to the fourth portion 40 and indirectly connected to the second portion 20, and the deformability of the at least one middle portion 54 is greater than the deformability of the fourth portion 40 but smaller than the deformability of the second portion 20. Each of the at least one middle portion 54 is 40.00%. In this embodiment, the fifth portion 50 includes two said middle portions 54, and the two middle portions 54 are located by two opposite sides of the second portion 20. Preferably, the fourth portion 40 and each of the two middle portions 54 respectively have deformabilities in the width direction W smaller than the deformabilities in the length direction L for providing lateral elastic resistance to the foot 4. Each of the two middle portions 54 includes a long section 55 which extends in the length direction L and a short section 56 which is lateral to the long section 55, the long section 55 is connected between the second and fourth portions 20, 40, and the short section 56 is connected between the at least one rear side portion 51 and the fourth portion 40 to increase the lateral resistance to balance a lateral force of the foot 4 and keep the foot 4 stable in the cavity 3. In this embodiment, each said rear side portion 51 and the fourth portion 40 are two independent components, and in other embodiments, each said rear side portion 51 and the fourth portion 40 may also be one component.

Each of the two rear side portions 51 is polygonal, and each of the two rear side portions 511 includes a first connecting margin 52 and a second connecting margin 53. The first and second connecting margins 52, 53 are respectively parts which are near a stitching/connecting line which is formed by stitching or connecting two portions neighboring to each other. The first connecting margin 52 is lateral to the second connecting margin 53, the first and second connecting margins 52, 53 are respectively lateral to the length direction L and the width direction W, the first connecting margin 52 is connected to the at least one middle portion 54, the second connecting margin 53 is connected to the second portion 20 and the first portion 10, and each of the two rear side portions 51 has the deformability in a direction from the sole structure 2 toward the first portion 10 greater than the deformability in the length direction L. Each of the two rear side portions 51 can keep the vamp 1 stably wrapping a rear part of the foot 4 to prevent overly deformation. For example, when the second portion 20 is pulled and stretched, each of the two rear side portions 51 can provide an opposite force to prevent the fourth portion 40 from being overly pulled and stretched and to maintain stability so as to effectively provide a lateral force to resist the lateral force of the foot 4 and keep the foot 4 stable in the cavity 3.

Preferably, the third portion 30 is substantially T-shaped, the third portion 30 includes a vertical section 31 and two feathers 32 which extend from the vertical section 31 toward two opposite sides thereof, the two rear side portions 51 are connected to the two opposite sides of the vertical section 31, and the two feathers 32 are respectively connected to opposite sides of the two rear side portions 51 connected to the first portion 10 to provide stable support without overly deformation. In addition, the deformability of the third portion 30 in a direction from the sole structure 2 toward the first portion 10 is greater than the deformability of the third portion 30 in the width direction W to stabilize the deformability from the sole structure 2 toward the first portion 10 without overly deformation and to wrap the rear part of the foot 4. In this embodiment, the vertical section 31 and the two feathers 32 are integrally formed.

The fifth portion 50 includes a front portion 57 (configured to correspond a plurality of parts which correspond to toes and knuckles connecting the metatarsal bones and phalanges), the front portion 57 is arranged between the fourth and second portions 40, 20, the fourth portion 40 surrounds and is connected to a part of the front portion 57, the length direction L extends through the front portion 57, the first portion 10, the second portion 20 and the third portion 30, and the deformability of the front portion 57 is smaller than the deformability of the second portion 20; in this embodiment, the deformability of the front portion 57 on the width direction W is smaller than the deformability of the front portion 57 on the length direction L to keep the front side of the foot 4 stable and wrap the foot 4 according to a size of the foot 4 on the width direction W.

The fifth portion 50 includes a joining portion 58, the joining portion 58 is substantially n-shaped, the joining portion 58 partly surrounds the second portion 20, the joining portion 58 has a middle section 581 and two spacing sections 582 which are respectively laterally connected to two opposite sides of the middle section 581, the middle section 581 is connected between the second and fourth portions 20, 40 on the length direction L, each of the two spacing sections 582 is connected to the second portion 20 and one of the two middle portions 54 on the width direction W, and the deformability of the joining portion 58 is smaller than the deformability of the second portion 20, so when the second portion 20 is pulled and stretched, the joining portion 58 provide a counter force to prevent the vamp 1 from being overly deformed.

The vamp 1 is woven, the first, second, third, fourth and fifth portions 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 are respectively a first woven component, a second woven component, a third woven component, a fourth woven component, and a fifth woven component which are integrally woven with one another which are good for changing and adjusting the weaving density, weaving direction and thread material of each portion. In other embodiment, each portion is made of other materials, for example, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyurethane (PU), fiber, leather, mesh fabric, and others. More specifically, the first woven component, the second woven component, the third woven component, the fourth woven component, and the fifth woven component are tightly woven together via a plurality of circular structures 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, and the deformability can be adjusted according to the weaving density and direction.

In this embodiment, the second portion 20 and the front portion 57 are woven by a plurality of nylon threads 90 and a plurality of elastic threads 91, so the second portion 20 and the front portion 57 have high tear resistance, elasticity and extensibility.

The first portion 10, the third portion 30, the rear side portion 51 and the middle portion 54 are respectively woven by a plurality of nylon threads 91 and have high tear resistance to keep the foot in position.

A shoe body 60 which includes the vamp 1 further includes the sole structure 2. The vamp 1 is arranged on the sole structure 2 to define the cavity 3 with the sole structure 2 for receiving the foot 4. The sole structure 2 may be made of rubber, polyurethane material, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer or thermo-plastic rubber (TPR) to buffer a counter force of the foot 4 to a ground, and the sole structure 2 and the vamp 1 can support and keep the foot 4 in the cavity.

Given the above, the vamp and the shoe body including the vamp provide the plurality of portions with different deformabilities, and the vamp and the shoe body can wrap and stabilize the foot well.

While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vamp, for being arranged on a sole structure and for defining a cavity with the sole structure for receiving a foot therein, the vamp defining a length direction, a width direction lateral to the length direction and a height direction lateral to the length direction and the width direction, the vamp including: a first portion, being tubular and having an opening which is configured to communicate with the cavity; a second portion, extending from the first portion toward a side away from the first portion, the second portion configured to at least correspond to an instep; a third portion, extending from the first portion along the height direction toward a side away from the first portion, the third portion extending from the first portion in a direction which is away from the second portion, the third portion configured to correspond to a heel; a fourth portion, at least partly surrounding the second portion, the fourth portion including at least two side portions which are arranged by two opposite sides of the second portion, each of the two side portions having an extent from the sole structure toward the second portion greater than 1.00 cm; a fifth portion, being arranged between the second and fourth portions; wherein the deformability of the second portion is greater than the deformability of the first portion, the deformability of the first portion is greater than the deformability of the fourth portion, the deformability of the fourth portion is greater than the deformability of the third portion, and the deformability of the fifth portion is smaller than respective deformabilities of the first and second portions but greater than or equal to the deformability of the third portion.
 2. The vamp of claim 1, where the third and second portions are respectively connected to two opposite sides of the first portion, and the deformability of the third portion is 20.00%±5%.
 3. The vamp of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the deformabilities of the first portion, the second portion, the third portion, the fourth portion and the fifth portion is 10:15:1:1.5:2.
 4. The vamp of claim 1, wherein the deformability of the first portion is 200.00%±10%, the deformability of the second portion is 300.00%±10%, and the deformability of the fourth portion is 30.00%±5%.
 5. The vamp of claim 1, wherein the fifth portion at least partly surrounds the second portion, and the fifth portion is connected among the first, second, third and fourth portions.
 6. The vamp of claim 1, wherein the fifth portion includes at least one middle portion, the at least one middle portion is connected between the second and fourth portions, the at least one middle portion and the second portion are arranged on the width direction, and the deformability of the at least one middle portion is greater than the deformability of the fourth portion but smaller than the deformability of the second portion.
 7. The vamp of claim 6, wherein the fifth portion includes a joining portion, the joining portion is substantially n-shaped, the joining portion partly surrounds the second portion, the joining portion has a middle section and two spacing sections which are respectively laterally connected to two opposite sides of the middle section, the middle section is connected between the second and fourth portions on the length direction, each of the two spacing sections is connected to the second portion and one of the two middle portions on the width direction, and the deformability of the joining portion is smaller than the deformability of the second portion.
 8. The vamp of claim 1, wherein the fifth portion includes at least one rear side portion, the at least one rear side portion is connected among the first, third and fourth portions, the deformability of each of the at least one rear side portion is greater than the deformability of the third portion but smaller than the deformability of the first portion, and the at least one rear side portion is configured to correspond to an ankle of the foot.
 9. The vamp of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth portions are respectively a first woven component, a second woven component, a third woven component, a fourth woven component, and a fifth woven component which are integrally woven with one another, the second portion is woven by a plurality of nylon threads and a plurality of elastic threads, and the first and third portions are respectively woven by a plurality of nylon threads.
 10. The vamp of claim 1, wherein the fifth portion includes a front portion, the front portion is arranged between the fourth and second portions, the fourth portion surrounds and is connected to a part of the front portion, the length direction extends through the front portion, the first portion, the second portion and the third portion, the deformability of the front portion is smaller than the deformability of the second portion, and the front portion is a woven component which is woven by a plurality of elastic threads and a plurality of nylon threads.
 11. The vamp of claim 6, wherein the fifth portion further includes two rear side portions, the two rear side portions are arranged by two opposite sides of the third portion, each of the two rear side portions is connected among the first, third and fourth portions, and the deformability of each of the two rear side portions is greater than the deformability of the third portion and smaller than the deformability of the first portion; the deformability of each of the two rear side portions is between 28.00% and 42.00%; the third portion is substantially T-shaped, the third portion includes a vertical section and two feathers which extend from the vertical section toward two opposite sides thereof, the two rear side portions are connected to the two opposite sides of the vertical section, and the two feathers are respectively connected to opposite sides of the two rear side portions connected to the first portion; the deformability of the third portion in a direction from the sole structure toward the first portion is greater than the deformability of the third portion in the width direction; the fifth portion includes two middle portions, and the two middle portions are located by two opposite sides of the second portion; the deformability of each of the two middle portions is 40.00%; each of the two middle portions includes a long section which extends in the length direction and a short section which is lateral to the long section, the long section is connected between the second and fourth portions, and the short section is connected between the at least one rear side portion and the fourth portion; the fourth portion and each of the two middle portions respectively have deformabilities in the width direction smaller than deformabilities in the length direction; each of the two rear side portions has deformability in a direction from the sole structure toward the first portion greater than the deformability in the length direction; each of the two rear side portions includes a first connecting margin and a second connecting margin, the first connecting margin is lateral to the second connecting margin, the first and second connecting margins are respectively lateral to the length direction and the width direction, the first connecting margin is connected to the at least one middle portion, and the second connecting margin is connected to the second portion; each of the two side portions has an extent from the sole structure toward the second portion greater than 1.50 cm; when being unstretched, in the width direction, an extent of the third portion is greater than an extent of the first portion of the vamp.
 12. A shoe body, including the vamp of claim 1, further including the sole structure; wherein the vamp is arranged on the sole structure to define the cavity with the sole structure for receiving the foot. 